House Bill 522, which became law Monday, is an unnecessary piece of legislation.
The law is designed to stir up anti-Islamic prejudice by suggesting that Sharia law is somehow going to take over the U.S. political system.
The regulation, which restricts all foreign law from N.C. courts, is aimed at a wide variety of religious laws, but targets Sharia specifically.
And the law is unwarranted because it was created to address a threat that doesn’t exist.
A May 2011 American Civil Liberties Union report shows that there is no evidence that Sharia law encroaches on U.S. courts.
Muslims who follow Sharia law — or Jews who follow Jewish law — for personal reasons are not trying to infiltrate the U.S. political system. This is a classic case of xenophobia.
Carl Ernst, a well-known UNC religious studies professor, described the law as originating from extremist groups who used right-wing politicians to push it through the legislature.
House Bill 522 represents an institutional flaw in the U.S. political system. Politicians have become embattled behind their party lines, only playing into the most extreme of their voting block.
These types of laws not only divide political parties, but also set a precedent that it is acceptable to target specific groups of people.
